Forever
by blueoceans1265
Summary: A Harry Potter "What If?"
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING OR ALPHAVILLE DOES!**

PROLOGUE

Imagine what Harry's life would be like if, at the end of _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_, he had held on a little longer. Imagine if the blast from his wand had overcome Voldemort's and blown him to smithereens. Call it an alternate universe. Straight up String Theory style. One choice has an effect on your entire future. This one choice has changed the rest of the characters' lives. Harry spends the summer after his fourth year with the Dursleys, awaiting the first day of the new school year. Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic have caught a very few of the Death Eaters, including Peter Pettigrew. They have questioned them intensely. Finally, with some Veritaserum, Pettigrew divulges that he was guilty of the crime Sirius Black was accused of, and Sirius is set free.

In the beginning of his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry receives a letter from Sirius, stating that he is selling his estate for a more reasonable home and once he has found that place, Harry may come and stay with him for the summers. Later in the year Sirius contacts Harry to say that he has a four-bedroom house (with even a room for Buckbeak, who has also been set free) in which Harry can come to stay.

Meanwhile in school, Dumbledore has brought Lupin back as Defense of the Dark Arts teacher. An experimental remedy for werewolf bites was discovered, and Lupin was their first test subject. He is now merely an Animagus.

Fred and George, in their seventh year, made one practical joke too many in three of their classes and were failed. They agreed to make them up in one more year at Hogwarts, making them the first ever eighth years.

In the summer of his fifth year, Harry stays with Sirius and Buckbeak. Rom and Hermione stay every so often and for the first time in his life, Harry is a bit sad to leave his summer behind. However, as the day to leave comes closer and closer, Harry gets more and more excited. Finally the day is here and Sirius and Harry are at the train station awaiting the train.

And this is where the story begins…


	2. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING OR ALPHAVILLE DOES!**

CHAPTER ONE

"Well, I've had a great time this summer, Sirius. I almost hate to see it end," Harry said as they stood facing each other on the platform.

"I've had a good time too, Harry. I still can't believe how much you've grown. It seems like yesterday that I was hearing Lily and James discussing diapers and baby clothes. How time flies." Sirius smiled fondly at the memory. "Well, soon you'll be a fully grown wizard. Now, you'd best get going before I start getting all teary. Off you go then," Sirius said as he pulled Harry into an embrace.

"See you next summer Sirius!" Harry called as he rushed to meet the Weasleys. He soon found them.

"…and I had better not hear anything that even suggests anything about a ninth year or else…" Harry grinned as Mrs. Weasley gave the twins a good reprimanding before they had even gotten on the train to go to school. He spotted Ron a little farther away with his father and Ginny and Hermione.

"Hello," Harry said to them all, just as the train pulled up. They all boarded and soon found a compartment.

Before they knew it, they were in the Great Hall, eating. Dumbledore had already given his speech of off-limits areas and announcements and all of the first years got through the Sorting. As they walked back to the Gryffindor dormitories, they discussed their summer.

"I just can't believe it's already over," Hermione said.

"Wait," Ron said dramatically.

"Hermione had a good time out of a library?" Harry gasped.

"Impossible! I refuse to believe this!" Ron said as he and Harry had a good laugh.

Hermione laughed as well. "Do you two really think I'm that boring?"

"Well…" Ron, however, had no time to answer her question, for he had, in his moment of laughter, forgotten about the trick stair. After nearly a second of flailing, he slammed facedown into the stair. When he looked back up at them, his nose was at a rather odd angle and bleeding profusely.

"Ron, I think we better take you to the Infirmary," said Harry.

"I think your nose is broken," Hermione commented. As they led Ron to find Madam Pomfrey, Ron wondered aloud.

"Hmmm…where are Fred and George? Usually they would've been harassing the first years," Ron sort of half laughed.

Soon, however, they found out exactly where the twins were.

"Harry! Hermione!" Fred called out to them as they walked into the Infirmary.

"Ron, what happened to your face?" George questioned while Madam Pomfrey found Ron a bed. Directly across from him, there seemed to be a girl who was sleeping with a large bandage on her head.

"…fell…stairs…" Ron muttered unintelligibly. "Why are you two here? I don't see anything wrong with you."

"Well, you see, we were on our way to start pestering the first years when we happened to hear a particularly irritating voice say, 'Wingardium Leviosa!' and so we had to investigate," George began.

"And there was Malfoy with his goons. They had used the spell to pick up this poor girl." Fred gestured to the bed across from Ron's. "We knew by the way she was panicking that this was not a good situation. So we went to help out," Fred continued.

"Unfortunately, before we'd had the chance to take more than three steps, Malfoy had slammed her" – here Fred interjected, "Slammed her hard!" – "against the wall and she sort of went limp," George said.

"We scared those slithering Slytherins off quick enough, but they laughed at her the whole way out of the corridor. When we turned back to see if she was alright, she still wasn't awake and her head was bleeding, so we knew we had to bring her here," Fred finished.

"Wow, and she hasn't been conscious yet?" asked Hermione.

"Nope," said Fred.

"Not yet," George said.

"That just makes me boil, those stinking Slytherins picking on first years like that…" Harry started.

"I am not a first year," said a new voice from the bed across from Ron's. Everyone turned to look at her. "Well, I suppose technically I am a first year, because this is my first year here, but in all actuality, I'm a sixth year." She looked around her, her large brown eyes landing on every one of them. "What? What are you all staring at?"

"Who are you?" Ron asked.

The girl started, as if she hadn't noticed Ron until now. "Oh, yes, well I suppose I have failed to introduce myself, haven't I?" She appeared to be slightly flustered. "I'm Beth Maywing. New student. Sixth year."

"I'm Hermione Granger. This is Fred and George Weasley, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter," Hermione introduced them all. "We're sixth years too, except Fred and George. They're eighth years." Fred and George gave sheepish grins and shrugged a little. "So how did you come to Hogwarts so late?" Hermione inquired.

"Well, I started out at Beauxbaton, but I didn't make it through half of the first year before I dropped out. My dad's been homeschooling me ever since then, and one day Dumbledore came and talked to him about allowing me to go to school here. So here I am," Beth said with a smile.

"Why did you drop out of Beauxbaton?" Harry asked.

"I had some…social problems that very closely resembled the one Fred and George rescued me from earlier. After that, my dad decided it would be best if I just stayed out of school for a while," Beth explained. "By the way, thank you for saving me. I don't know what I would've done should you two not have been there. And it is very nice making your acquaintance," she added her thanks.

"No problem," said George.

"Any time," said Fred.

"I bet your parents really weren't happy about you dropping out of Beauxbaton, were they?" Ron asked. Beth flushed again.

"Parent, actually. My mother died shortly before I began school at Beauxbaton. And not really, it was sort of…expected that I would have some…" At this moment Madam Pomfrey swept over to them to say that both Beth and Ron were free to go to bed.

"What house are you in, Beth?" George asked.

"Gryffindor," she stated. "I was Sorted a week ahead of time so I wouldn't have to go with the actual first years."

"We're all in Gryffindor too," Harry said, "so we'll just go with you."

"Lovely!" Beth exclaimed.

As they proceeded to the dormitories, Harry suddenly realized that not once had Beth stared or acted in the usual way to himself or his scar. What she had been staring at, when she wasn't explaining part of her story, was Ron.

The next morning, Beth met them all at breakfast. Being new to the school, she had no idea where any of her classes were. Luckily, when they compared schedules, they discovered that Beth was taking almost all of the same classes as Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Beth was taking Choir and Hermione was taking Arithmancy instead of Divination. Fortunately Choir was on Ron and Harry's way, so when it came time to split, they could show her which way to go. Their whole day went quite smoothly, and Beth was getting along well. She loved to read, and Hermione had some lengthy discussions with her about her favorite books. She also was a huge Quidditch fan, and it turned out that the Cannons were her favorite team as well.

They were deep in conversation about this on their way back from dinner when Beth was suddenly pushed over.

"Huh," Malfoy said behind them.

"What do you want?" Hermione said as she picked Beth up off the ground.

"Well, I just wanted to officially meet Beth Maywing," Malfoy said as they all stared at him with confusion. "She is quite special, you know," he said with a mocking sneer. "I thought I recognized the name, so I wrote to my father this morning and I just got my answer." Beth's confusion suddenly turned into complete terror. "So let's see them, Beth," Malfoy demanded.

"I-I have n-no idea what you could mean by 'them'," Beth stammered as she turned red.

"Oh, yes, your new friends probably have no idea what's on your back, do they Beth?" Malfoy inquired.

"Shut up, Malfoy." Beth wouldn't look up and Harry thought she might be crying.

"Oh, come on, don't be afraid to show them," he said. "They're weird just like you. Well, actually you're the weirdest. You make Potter seem like a Muggle."

Beth looked up with anger in her eyes and a steady flow of tears on her face. "I am not afraid," she whispered, and then, out of nowhere, two wings, which must have been close to ten feet long, sprouted from her back. She stood there for a moment, tears still running down her face, as she watched them stare in amazement at the bronze wings that matched her hair. Then, as she shook her head, she walked towards the nearest window opened it, and jumped out. Malfoy laughed as the rest of them gathered around the window and gasped as they watched her fly.

"Did you really think" – Malfoy started snorting – "that she was normal? She's even more of a freak than all of you put together!" Malfoy exclaimed through hysterical laughter.

They all turned to glare at him and Harry saw Ron move out of the corner of his eye. But before he could stop him, Ron had slammed his fist into Malfoy's nose. As Malfoy picked himself up, he ran off as fast as he could.

"You're going to hear about that later," Hermione reprimanded as they walked back to the dormitories.

"I don't care," Ron fumed. "That was rotten, making her expose herself like that. He deserved it."

"I know he did," Harry said. "I just hope Beth will be alright. She was really upset."

"I guess we'll find out in the morning," Hermione shrugged.

The next morning they didn't see her at breakfast, but she did come to all her classes. They never had a chance to talk to her, though, because she was always late. Soon, however, came Care of Magical Creatures with the Slytherins. As soon as everyone arrived, Malfoy sauntered up to Beth, who kept her head down. Sensing an oncoming situation, Harry, Hermione, and Ron moved closer to Beth.

"Hey, I know what Hagrid should teach about today!" Malfoy shouted to the whole group. Scatter shouts of "What?" were heard from some students. "Beth! I mean, she's practically her own species! She's part human and part bird, or she must be at least to have those wings that sprout from her back!"

"Malfoy…" Harry said threateningly while tears fell from Beth's downward cast face. Fortunately, Hagrid came out that very moment to find a crowd of gasping students.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, Beth, come with me, please. The rest of you can go and take care of those Blast-Ended Skrewts in that crate over there." A groan ensued as Hagrid led them a little ways away. "Now, what's all this about?" Hagrid asked.

"Malfoy is harassing Beth. He has been ever since the first night," Hermione explained.

"Ah, 'ave they found out so soon, Beth?" Hagrid asked as he folded her into his large embrace. She nodded, and they all looked over to where the other students were whispering and glancing over at Beth while attempting to take care of the skrewts.

"You know about her wings?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"Yes. All of the teachers were told, so that we could prepare for something like this," Hagrid said. "But see, it's nothin' ter worry yer head over, Beth. Yeh've still got Harry and Ron and Hermione, and I imagine the twins'll like yeh no less."

"Really?" she squeaked as she finally peeked her head up.

"Yeah, this'll all blow over soon," Harry said.

"And like Hagrid said, you've still got us," Ron said.

Beth smiled gratefully. "Well, I guess we'd better start class then, so this can start blowing over," she said.

They walked back over to the rest of the students. Hagrid began class, and though she was still pale and receiving many wide-eyed stares, Beth made it through.

In the next few weeks, the excitement over Beth's wings (for it of course spread through the entire school) quieted down. The only times she showed them were times when her, Ron, Harry, and Hermione were alone and they asked her to see them.

"My mum was a shape-shifter. That's why I'm like this," she explained while walking to Potions one day. "My dad's just a wizard, though. He –"

"Beth, I need to see you for a moment." Dumbledore suddenly was right behind them. "In my office. You three may wait for her."

"Alright," Beth said as she followed him.

About fifteen minutes later, Beth came out of Dumbledore's office, pale and teary-eyed.

"Beth, what's wrong?" Ron asked as he stood up from where they had been waiting for her against the wall.

"My father," she explained. "He's been killed." Beth started to sob. "I don't know what to do now. Who am I supposed to write to when I ace my Transfiguration test? Or when I succeed in flying a quadruple loop?" Ron folded her in his arms and Harry and Hermione did the same and held her until she couldn't cry any longer. "I think I need to be alone now," she said quietly as she walked away.

The three of them headed to dinner. "What are you all so quiet for?" Ginny asked as she joined them at the table.

"Beth's father died," Harry said.

"Oh, no. Is she all right?" Ginny inquired.

"We don't know," Ron answered glumly.

"Well, we should do something to make her feel better, or at least attempt to take her mind off of everything for a bit," Ginny suggested. "I know! Tomorrow starts the weekend. I bet she'd love to see the mermaids play in the Black Lake." Hermione nodded.

"That is a good idea. And the mermaids are bound to be out, seeing how sunny it's been," she agreed.

"Let's go tell her then!" Ron exclaimed.

"Ron, you can't. You have to stay here to study for your test in Charms. And I'm staying here to make sure you do," Hermione stated.

"Well then Ginny, would you come help me find her?" Harry asked.

"Sure!" Ginny said. As they started to walk out of the Great Hall, Ginny asked, "Where do you think she is?"

"Well," Harry started, "she's probably in her room. She said she wanted to be alone, and there's probably no one in there right now."

As they moved closer to her room, they could hear someone moving around. Suddenly, they heard the person whisper "Engorgio!" from the door to Beth's room. As they peeked in, a piano started playing, and as they watched, Beth began to sing as she delicately drove her fingers over the keys.

"_Let's dance in style_

_Let's dance for a while_

_Heaven can wait_

_We're only watching the skies_

_Hoping for the best _

_But expecting the worst_

_Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?_

_Let us die young_

_Or let us live forever_

_We don't have the power _

_But we never say never_

_Sitting in a sandpit_

_Life is a short trip_

_The music's for the sad men_

_Forever young_

_I want to be _

_Forever young_

_Do you really want to live forever?_

_Forever, and ever_

_Forever young_

_I want to be _

_Forever young_

_Do you really want to live forever?_

_Forever_

_Forever young."_

"Wow," Ginny said as Beth finished playing. "That was really beautiful. What is it?"

"Oh!" Beth started as she turned around. "I didn't hear you come in. It's my favorite old Muggle song."

"How did you get the piano here?" Harry asked.

"Like this," Beth said. "Reducio!" The piano shrunk to the size of her hand and she placed it back in her luggage.

"Cool," Harry said. "We were just wondering if you'd like to go and see the mermaids at the Black Lake with us and Ron and Hermione tomorrow."

"Yeah, that sounds fun," Beth said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go see Professor Snape about the work I've missed." She smiled a little and left.

The next day by the lake was gorgeous. They picnicked and played games and watched the mermaids play. Beth, though not completely herself, had a good time. Harry noticed that around Ron, Beth smiled a little brighter, laughed a little more, and fidgeted with her hair. In any case, the day ended up long for them all and finally they relented to go to bed.

"I had nightmares all last night," Beth said, "but I'll try to get some sleep."

They all walked sleepily to bed. Harry lay awake for a long time, tossing and turning and turning and tossing, thinking of the death of his own parents and of how Beth must be feeling. He also wondered if Beth could sleep. When he eventually tried to go to sleep himself, not even the sound of Ron's gentle snoring could lull him into the land of dreams. Finally, he just gave up, and decided to go sit for a while by the fire.

"Oh! Harry!" He hadn't even noticed Beth sitting on the couch as he walked down the stairs.

"What are you doing up this late, Beth?" Harry asked, wondering if the nightmares were bothering her.

"I was just thinking about watching the mermaids today at the Black Lake. I'll never be like them, you know," she said with a sad smile.

"Do you wish you could be?"

"Sometimes. But then I remember that I chose to be a child of the sky, not the sea."

"You chose to have wings instead of a fish tail? When? How?" Harry ogled.

"It's…kind of difficult to explain."

"Well, try. Please," Harry demanded.

"Well alright. You see, before a child is born, the Higher Powers of this universe give them two choices. The first is whether to be a boy or a girl. The second is whether or not to be a wizard. Because my mother was a shape-shifter, I had also a third choice, which was what extra animalistic feature to have," she explained.

"Why don't I remember this?" he said skeptically.

"Most people never do. I, however, am one who has remembered. We who do are very few and far between. I'm not sure why some remember and others don't."

"Why did you choose wings, then?" Harry questioned, eager to learn more.

"The Higher Powers gave me two options when it came to animal features. The choice was between wings and a mermaid's tail and gills. Both would disappear when I wanted to appear as a normal human. In order to help me make this decision, they showed me the happiest time in my life and the age at which I would die for both of the options." Beth came to a stop, looking unsure about continuing on.

"These aren't things I can tell anyone else, are they?" Harry inquired.

"No, Harry, but I suppose that since I've come this far I should at least finish answering your question," she said with a grimace.

"Alright, then. Shoot." He leaned in.

"When they showed me the happiest time in my life, I saw someone. Someone I instantly fell in love with. I knew he was made for me, just as I was made for him. For one of my two possible paths, I was simply friends with him. He saw me as no more than an acquaintance. But, in the second path, he loved me as much as I loved him, and we were both as happy as we could be. So I chose the second path, the path with wings, so that I could be with him." She smiled a little, slightly sheepish smile. But that smile also contained the bittersweetness of something lost for something gained.

"What's wrong? Shouldn't that be it, then?" Harry wondered, slightly concerned.

"Well, yes." Beth looked down, a tear running down her cheek.

"What aren't you telling me, Beth?" Harry reached out to wipe her face clean of the tear. "What did you give up for him?"

"I just didn't really realize how hard it would be to know that I have to give him up." More tears took the place of the one that Harry wiped off.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, confused.

"Do you remember how I told you that, along with the happiest moments, they also told me when I would die?"

"Yes. But that doesn't explain why you have to give him up."  
She nodded. "If I had chosen to have gills and a tail, I would have a little more than sixty more years of life than I have now." She sighed and sniffled a bit, then looked up and smiled her bittersweet smile again. "Still, I would much rather have a few years with him than many without."

Harry wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks as a few glistened on his own face. "Oh, Beth. I'm so sorry," and she leaned into his arms and sobbed as he held her and silently cried for her pain.

"Beth?" he finally said.

"Yes?" she said in a tired voice, as though exposing her truth had taken all of her strength.

"I believe I am going back to bed now. Thanks."

"For what?" she asked as he stood up.

"For telling me that. Oh, and Beth?" he asked as he started to turn.

"Yes?" She looked up at him and smiled, appearing to be just as tired as she sounded.

"Who is he, Beth?"

"He's Ron," she said as one last, lone tear made its way down her face.

"Good night Beth," Harry said as he leaned down to gently kiss her forehead before he made his way back to his dormitory.

All the way up the stairs and as he went to sleep, Harry could hear one verse of the old Muggle song Beth sang ringing in his head.

_Let us die young_

_Or let us live forever_

_We don't have the power_

_But we never say never_

_Sitting in a sandpit_

_Life is a short trip_

_The music's for the sad men…_


	3. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING OR ALPHAVILLE DOES!**

**CHAPTER TWO**

The next morning, Harry was distracted. He lagged behind on the way to class, at meals he barely said a word, and in class his mind wandered. Hermione noticed, and asked him what he was thinking about, but he simply said that he hadn't slept well the night before and that he was tired. But as Hermione rattled on about the dangers of not getting enough sleep, Harry gave his full attention over to watching Ron's reactions to Beth, as he had been doing all morning.

He knew that Beth liked Ron. He could tell from the way she laughed and smiled and acted around him. What Harry wanted to know was if Ron liked Beth. To his surprise, as soon as he brought his attention to it, he realized that Ron was indeed very interested in Beth. Just like her, he laughed a little more, smiled a little brighter, and stole glances at her every now and then. And sometimes, when one looked over at the other, the other was looking back, and both would smile a little and turn back, a fiery red blush creeping along both faces. Harry knew that the two of them would never admit how they felt about each other, however, unless they were pushed into it. He was wondering how to go about this on his way back to the common room when he ran into Ginny.

"Oh, hi, Harry!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Ginny! Hi!" Harry said as an idea popped into his head. "Sorry for running into you like that. Where are you headed?" he asked.

"I was just going to find Hermione and Beth. I need some help with my Arithmancy homework. Would you happen to know where they are?" she inquired.

"Yes, they are in the library with Ron, attempting to make him study. Er – Ginny, may I talk with you for a moment?" he asked as he pulled her aside.

"Yes, what do you need Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Are you aware that your brother likes Beth?" Harry said.

"I knew Fred had a secret girlfriend!" Ginny started to exclaim, but Harry cut in before she could get any farther.

"No, not Fred. Ron," Harry said impatiently.

"Well, I know they're friends…" Ginny replied uncertainly.

"No, I mean he _really_ likes her," Harry said.

"Oh, no I had no idea. How do you know?" she asked, and Harry spilled the whole story to her, from Beth's confession of the time before she was born to the way Ron acted when she was around. Soon, Harry had convinced Ginny of this and they began to plot ways to bring them together.

From then on, Harry and Ginny spend much time together planning to bump Beth into Ron in the hallways and to leave them alone together when they weren't expecting it. The next month was spent carrying out those plans and making new ones. They knew their ploy was working one day when they were in the library with Hermione, Ron, and Beth. They had left Beth alone at a table where she had fallen asleep and were in the next aisle when they heard a blood curdling scream that made their hairs stand up on end and sent chills down their backs. Ron raced around the corner and by the time the rest of them had gotten there, he was already holding her in a tight embrace. Beth's face was white and she was trembling.

"She's all right," Ron said. "She just had another one."

Harry, Ginny, and Hermione looked at each other in confusion, but silently agreed to let it go. Later, when they were out of the library and out of Beth's earshot, Ron explained.

"She told me last week that she's been having nightmares and waking up screaming. She put a spell on her bed so that no one else would hear her," Ron stated matter-of-factly.

Harry and Ginny were sure that their plan was going to work, until one day when they walked from dinner into the common room to find Beth staring blankly into the fire.

"There you are, Beth," Ron said. "I was wondering – I – I mean, we were wondering where you were."

"I'm going to bed early tonight. Good night," Ginny said as she walked up the stairs. Harry watched her go and suddenly felt a strange sense of longing that he couldn't explain.

"What's wrong, Beth?" Hermione asked, and Harry jolted back into reality.

"They're sending me to Azkaban," she said quietly as a tear ran down her face.

"What? Why?" Hermione asked. "How do you know?"

"Dumbledore told me that an insider told him. Something about because he won't be able to weasel me out of punishment, so I'll be the first student to actually go there while I'm still in school," she answered, not bothering to wipe her face clean of tears. Ron just stared at her.

"When?" he asked quietly.

"The day after tomorrow," she said. Finally, she couldn't hold back the sobs any longer. All four of them were crying now.

"Why?" Harry asked as he struggled to compose himself.

Beth simply shook her head and sobbed harder.

After some time, she fell asleep on the couch and the other three decided to talk on the stairs so that, if she needed them, they were only a few steps away.

"Tomorrow's a Hogsmeade day, right, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Then you both know what we have to do, right?" he said as determination filled his bright green eyes.

As the other two nodded, Beth's screams, now worse than ever, filled the room. They were going to make tomorrow Beth's best day ever. Just as they did when her father died.

On their way to Hogsmeade the next day, Harry looked at the girl walking beside of him. He had never realized how short she was. Walking in between Ron and himself, Beth only came up to Harry's chin. Ron towered over her. As she caught his glance and smiled at him, Harry saw her bronze hair glitter in the sunlight.

Ron was staring at her too, and with a slight grimace, said, "Why are you so unlucky?"

Beth grinned at him and said, "Well, I'm not so unlucky, am I? I mean, I did meet you. You all, I mean," and blushed.

Throughout that day, the three of them did everything they could think of to make her happy. They made her laugh herself to pieces in Zonko's and then settled down with butterbeer. Though they could still see in her eyes the foreboding which they all felt, they still felt huge relief as they noticed that she had almost forgotten what the day looming ahead of them held. On the way home, Harry consoled himself with the thought that he had never heard her laugh so hard as that day, and that Ron had even held her hand. She had delighted immensely in that, as Harry could see by the way she blushed and her small, satisfied smile.

They spent the rest of the evening in the Gryffindor common room, reminiscing of their few months at Hogwarts. As they were alone, she let her wings stretch and relax, the bronze feathers glinting in the firelight. They knew, though, that she knew that they stayed with her to prevent the nightmares on her last night as much as to simply spend the time with her. All squished on the couch, she took great comfort in being squashed between Harry and Ron. She fell asleep on Ron's shoulder and slept soundly even as he carried her to her bed.

The next morning they said their goodbyes as the tears streamed down her face. The dementors were soon there, and as they all watched her scream in anguish as the dementors strapped the straightjacket around her shoulders, a single tear fell down Ron's face.

"Goodbye, Beth," he whispered. "Come back soon, and alright."

"Don't worry, Ron," Dumbledore suddenly said behind them. "I won't let them have her for long. This is ridiculous, accusing a student of such a crime."

"Whatever it was, she didn't do it," Harry said quietly.

"Of course not," Dumbledore replied as he walked away.

"What could they even think she'd done to deserve time in Azkaban for?" Hermione wondered aloud as they walked to their next class.

* * *

Three months passed, but not one of them could close their eyes without hearing her gut-wrenching sobs as the dementors drug her away. They thought about her every day, through every class, and every night until one day in Transfiguration.

"Harry! HARRY POTTER!"

Harry came out of his daze as Professor McGonagall slammed his book down on his desk. "Have you three heard a word of anything I've said all lesson? Well, no matter. Dumbledore would like to see you, Weasley, and Granger in the Gryffindor common room immediately. You are excused."

They soon arrived at the common room to find Dumbledore already sitting in a chair and gesturing for them to sit on the couch.

"Miss Beth will be returning in a very short time from Azkaban. I need you to reacquaint her with comfort and being comfortable with the people who surround her. She will need your patience and kindness and love at all times and at any cost. Is this clear?" Dumbledore glanced expectantly into each one of their faces as they nodded. "Yes? Good then. Oh, but one more thing. She will not be able to be alone for some time. At least one of you will have to accompany her everywhere, and I would suggest that all three of you sleep in this common room with her until she feels she can handle the night by herself." Harry saw Ron and Hermione shudder at the memory of Beth's terrified scream that was associated with her nightmares. He couldn't imagine what they would be like now. "Well then," Dumbledore stood to leave, "let's go meet them."

Hermione stood. "What, now?"

Dumbledore didn't even turn. "Of course."

They made their way down the great steps to the outside, where Dumbledore pulled out a watch and muttered, "Any time now…, ah, here they come."

Harry looked into the sky and was astonished to see two dementors falling as if attracted to the earth by magnets with something hung between them like a shirt on a clothesline.

"Is that…?" Ron inquired. No one had a chance to answer him, for at that moment the dementors landed directly in front of them. Only at this did Harry notice that this "something" was Beth. He gasped as she looked up at them, her eyes dead and dull, devoid of her usual spark. Her skin was a strange gray color, her hair tangled and matted with none of its bronze shine.

Suddenly the creeping stillness was broken as the dementors tossed Beth at Harry, who barely caught her and noticed that she was still wearing the straightjacket they forced on her the day they picked her up.

"You may leave now," Dumbledore said with an edge of anger, and the dementors seeped back into the sky. "Hermione, go prepare somewhere for her to sleep. Harry, carry her there. Ron, make sure all the doors are opened. Go, quickly now." As Harry gathered her into his arms, he caught a jealous glare from Ron.

_What was that all about? _Harry thought before he remembered Ron's relationship with Beth and suddenly understood. He looked down at the girl he was holding like a baby. She was so light. He hadn't remembered her being so fragile and frail. She looked like she hadn't slept in months. Her eyes, wide open, kept drooping, as if going to sleep, but then jerking wide open once again as if something had fiercely jolted her awake. _Poor Beth,_ Harry thought.

Harry carried her to the Gryffindor common room where Hermione had placed a pillow and blankets on the couch. He laid her down as gently as he could on the couch and Ron covered her up with a blanket before stroking her once beautiful hair.

"Why was she there, Dumbledore?" Hermione said, unable to take her eyes off of Beth, just as captivated by her obvious frailty as everyone else.

"It no longer matters. She has been proven innocent." Dumbledore turned to leave. He spoke four more words and was gone. "Take care of her."

After a moment, they all looked at each other.

"What…should we do now?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Perhaps we should brush her hair. It looks so uncomfortable. I'll run and get a comb." Hermione proceeded to run up the stairs.

"Harry, help me get this jacket off. I don't know what Hermione's talking about. This looks way worse." Ron then sat her up and, by the time Hermione came rushing back down the stairs, all the buckles had been unclipped and they were pulling the sleeves from her arms.

"Ron, keep holding her up like that so I can get to all her hair." Ron nodded and held her stable while Hermione attempted to comb Beth's hair, all of them cringing when Hermione found yet another knot. Finally, her hair, if not as full and shiny as it was before, was back to being smooth and soft. Harry then went to request that the Fat Lady make a sign to ensure the peacefulness of the common room until Beth could get enough rest. No sooner than he had stepped out of the hole in the wall, however, Snape swept up to him.

"I am looking for Beth," he said, peering behind Harry into the hold that led to the common room.

"She's on the couch, resting. Why do you ask?" Harry looked at Snape suspiciously.

"Dumbledore asked me to concoct something to make her sleep without dreams. Is that all right, Fluffy?" Harry only too well remembered Hagrid's three-headed dog and knew Snape's comment was supposed to be derogatory, but secretly felt proud at being compared to the guard dog. "Here," Snape said as he handed the potion to Harry. "You may administer it to her. It's already diluted. Have her drink all of it. This will allow for eight to ten hours of undisturbed sleep. However, keep her somewhere quiet. If she is woken before she is ready to be, the potion will no longer work."

"Thank you," Harry said as Snape turned to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing," Snape said as he turned back. "Be careful with her," he sneered.

"Of course," Harry said with ferocity, slightly offended that Snape thought that he wouldn't take care of her. Harry walked back into the common room after asking the Fat Lady to tell everyone coming in to please be quiet. From his encounter with Snape, Harry was left with the feeling that Snape and Beth had a deeper connection than Harry had realized. But before he could give it any more thought, the Weasley twins bounced in from the corridor.

"Hello, Harry," said Fred.

"What's with the Fat Lady's sign?" asked George.

"Beth's back," Harry replied.

"You mean Beth Maywing? The girl with the wings who got sent to Azkaban three months ago?" asked George.

"She's back?" asked Fred.

"Yes," Harry replied impatiently, "and she's resting on the couch. So keep it down."

"May we see her?" the twins asked.

"I suppose so," Harry replied, "but only for a few minutes. Then she's got to get some sleep." And with that Harry led them to the couch.

"Wow, she looks horrible!" said Fred.

"Absolutely terrible!" said George.

"Yes well, she looks a fair bit better than she did earlier," Hermione defended.

"Well, you won't have to worry about her getting taken care of," George replied.

"Yes, Ron would take care of her from the ends of the earth and back," Fred said as they all looked over to where Ron still sat on the couch with Beth. After the twins had greeted her with their hugs and chatter, they reconvened on the stairs. Ron had more than willingly volunteered to stay on the couch with Beth.

"Harry, Hermione! I believe we should attempt to put her to bed now. She really needs it," Ron said suddenly.

"Bye then!" said the twins as they raced off to their dormitory.

"Oh yes, Snape stopped by with a sleeping potion for her. Said she's not to be awakened. So, if you'll carry her up, Ron, I'll bring up that. Hermione, if you'll show us where to put her?" Harry reached for his pocket as Ron hoisted Beth into his arms and Hermione rushed to prepare a bed.

Once they got to the room Dumbledore prepared so that Hermione and Beth could have a private, quiet room to themselves, Ron held Beth up as Harry gave her the potion and then laid her back down as she fell fast asleep. They heard the students rush into the Gryffindor common room after their last classes, but compared to the noise there would have been if they were there, it wounded only like a murmur and there was no fear of Beth awakening.

"Are you sure you'll be all right with her tonight by yourself?" Ron whispered as they got ready to leave.

"Yes, we'll be fine. If not, I'll come and get you," Hermione reassured them.

"All right, let's go then. Good night, Hermione. Good night, Beth," Harry said as they went out the door. And with one last look at Beth lying peacefully in her bed, they went to their own room.


	4. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING OR ALPHAVILLE DOES!**

**CHAPTER THREE**

The next morning Harry and Ron made their way down to breakfast, making a sad attempt to be jovial. Both were worried that something had gone wrong in the night that they hadn't known about, or that the day before had all been a dream and Beth really wasn't there. But, as they made their way towards the Gryffindor table, they saw Hermione waving them over and Beth sitting next to her. She was still pale, but she didn't look quite as tired and she was even smiling a little. Ron waved back and sat down between her and Hermione. Harry sat on the other side of Hermione.

"Hey, Beth," he said. "How're you feeling?"

"Better," she said gratefully.

"You looked awful yesterday," Ron said. "I-I mean, you always look good, but just not so much then. You look much better now. You look very beautiful. Not that you don't always," he caught himself as she watched him with a smile that said how much she really missed him. He blushed and turned away as she turned to the girl beside her who was asking her a question. He and Harry leaned into Hermione.

"How was last night?" Harry asked in a low voice.

"Did she wake up at all? Have any nightmares? Was she all right?" Ron whispered frantically.

"She was fine. She was a little freaked when she woke up, but that was all. Once I convinced her that she wasn't still in Azkaban, she was fine," Hermione whispered back.

"Good," Ron said, and leaned back to smile at Beth.

Ginny looked at Harry from a little ways down the table meaningfully. When everyone got up to go to their first classes, Harry excused himself and went over to Ginny.

"Ready to start back up again?" Harry said.

"Yes. And I have just the plan for today. When do you have Divination?" Ginny asked.

"Last," Harry said skeptically.

"And Beth has Choir then, right?" she persisted.

"Yes," Harry affirmed.

"Make Ron walk alone with her to Choir. Grab your Invisibility Cloak at lunch and we'll follow," Ginny said.

"You're a genius!" Harry exclaimed.

"Thanks," she said, and suddenly blushed.

"Well, bye then," Harry said awkwardly.

"Bye," she said and walked away.

He thought about her as he ran to catch up with Ron, Beth, and Hermione. How she had changed from the shy little girl she had been the first time he had seen her on Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters when he was about to get on the Hogwarts Express for the very first time ever.

Harry soon caught up with the others and was swept away in his classes and making sure Beth was getting along alright. But he could not forget Ginny's plan, and so at lunch he went to get his cloak. The rest of the day passed smoothly, and soon Hermione was hurrying off to Arithmancy.

"Plan on sleeping in the common room tonight," she said to Harry and Ron. "Snape hasn't given her any more of that potion."

Harry nodded as she rushed off and he turned to Ron and Beth as she walked back from talking with Neville.

"I'm going to hurry and get seats in Divination," Harry said to them.

"That's fine," Ron said. "I'll walk you to choir, then, if you don't mind Beth."

"I don't mind at all," Beth smiled, and they turned and walked off. Harry felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Did you remember to get it?" Ginny asked as he turned to face her.

"Yep," Harry said as he pulled the cloak and draped it over them. "Let's go."

When they reached Ron and Beth, they were just approaching the stairs leading to the Choir room. They were laughing at something when Beth tripped over a stair and fell.

"Are you all right?" Ron said as he sat on the stair next to her and began to pick up her things.

"Yes," she said uncertainly. She stared at him openly.

"What?" he asked.

"I missed you," she exclaimed as she threw her arms around him. He held her until she pulled away a little, and then, to Harry and Ginny's surprise, he gently touched his lips to hers.

"I missed you too," he said.

She gently touched his face. "This isn't just some sick joke the dementors are playing on me to make me happy so that they can bring me crashing down is it? This is all really real?" she asked him, looking worried.

"Of course it's real," he said as he kissed her again and helped her back up to her feet. She blushed as they walked up the remaining stairs and he carried her things.

Harry looked over to see the biggest smile on Ginny's face. He reached over and took her hand, a surprising warmth filling his whole body. He was just about to pull Ron's move when they heard someone coming down the hallway. Glad that they were still under the Invisibility Cloak, they watched Draco Malfoy stomp past with a crumpled paper in his hand. He threw it behind him as he walked on. Harry and Ginny ran over to it when he was gone. Harry flattened out the creases and they started to read:

_Draco,_

_I regret to inform you that you will need to stay at Hogwarts for the remainder of the year. If you should experience any more trouble with Potter, Maywing, and their friends, please contact me and I shall bring it up with Dumbledore._

_The meeting with the leader of the Muggle terrorists went very well. He has agreed to our terms and all of the still faithful supporters who still go free have agreed to take part. We shall have both force and magic on our side; the school will fall._

_ Lay low and give no hint that you know what is coming._

_Lucius Malfoy_

"What does this mean?" Ginny asked Harry, wide-eyed.

"I don't know. But I'm taking this straight to Dumbledore," Harry said with determination. "You should go to class. You're late." Ginny nodded and ran off. Harry ran to the phoenix statue that sat guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office. He began naming off all the sweets he could until Dumbledore himself stepped out to see what the problem was.

"Harry, what's going on?" he asked as he ushered him in. Harry carefully explained how he had seen Draco throw the paper while he was in the hallway, leaving Ginny and the reason they were in the hallway out. Dumbledore asked no questions, however, when Harry handed him the paper. He sighed after he was done and sat down. "I was afraid of this, Harry," he said gravely.

"What?" Harry asked. "Afraid of what?"

"Lucius Malfoy has gotten the Death Eaters who have escaped judgment to join him in an attack on Hogwarts, as revenge for the destruction of Lord Voldemort. What I didn't expect, and what he has apparently done, is enlist the help of Muggles who can provide deadly artillery." Dumbledore shook his head. "I'd heard rumors of this, but never anything concrete." He looked at Harry. "This means that the school will have to be placed under surveillance, for no one knows when the attack will come. Except maybe for Mr. Malfoy," he said. "Keep an eye on him, will you, Harry?" Harry nodded. "Oh and how is Beth doing?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry smiled at the thought of Beth and Ron on the stairs. "She's doing well," he replied.

"Good," Dumbledore said. "Now you should go write to Sirius and I shall go talk to the teachers." Dumbledore lead him out of the office and soon he was running to the Owlery. The letter to Sirius took the rest of the Divination's time and when he went down to meet Ron, Hermione, and Beth, they were all already in the common room.

"You should've told me you were going to skip Divinations," Ron said crossly. "I would've come, too. Saving seats, yeah, right," he snorted.

"I didn't meant to skip," Harry said, and he explained everything that had happened exactly as he had to Dumbledore; that is, leaving out that he was with Ginny and they were spying on Beth and Ron.

"Blimey," Ron said when he was done.

"What's going to happen now?" Beth said in a scared, little voice.

"We're all just going to need to be a little more careful," Harry consoled her.

"In other news," Hermione said, steering the conversation away from these scary thoughts, "I think we should all sleep down here in the common room tonight!"

"We can do that?" Beth asked.

"Yeah," Hermione said cheerfully. "What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea. As long as Ron and Harry are alright with it," Beth said with a smile.

"Yeah!" Harry said enthusiastically.

"It'll be loads of fun!" Ron agreed, and they went to dinner discussing things to do.

When they returned from dinner, they broke apart to gather their things in their rooms. However, they soon reassembled in the common room. They played Exploding Snaps and ate candy and laughed until they were so tired that they couldn't even sit up. Ron fell asleep in the chair closest to the couch where Beth had made her bed. Harry and Hermione had pulled over two other chairs and now sat across from Ron. Hermione had drifted off and Harry could see her head bobbing and Beth's small sleeping figure in the firelight and he could hear Ron's gentle snore and he was so comfortable and happy that he just closed his eyes to enjoy the moment…

Beth's screams rattled the inside of Harry's head as he sat up quickly. He saw Ron open his eyes as he ran over to Beth and he heard Hermione behind him.

"Let me go!" she yelled as Ron and Harry tried to pin her arms down. "No! I don't belong here! It wasn't me! Put me back where I belong! It wasn't my fault!"

"If she keeps this up," Harry said as he tried to stop her hand from reaching her face, "she's going to claw her face off."

"I think that's what she's trying for," Hermione said sadly.

Finally they restrained her enough to wake her up. As soon as she did, Ron embraced her as she whimpered into his shoulder.

"What did they do to you?" Hermione wondered aloud.

"They thought I killed my father," Beth said quietly once she had calmed down.

"That's impossible!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I know. But they thought that, since I can fly, I'd just flown out a window, killed him, and flew back all before dawn," she explained.

"What kind of evidence would support that, though?" Hermione exclaimed, still shocked.

"Apparently they found feathers all over there. Although my feathers were always all over there," she admitted.

"But to just put you in Azkaban for that…" Hermione said, dumbfounded.

"I know," Beth said. "The thought of my innocence was the only thing that kept me alive while I was there. The dementors wouldn't allow me a single happy thought. They took every single one that I didn't hide away," she said sadly.

"Did you have nightmares there, too?" Ron asked her.

"Oh, yes. They got so bad. Finally, I had to give up sleep for two weeks at a time, just for the few minutes of dreamless sleep that came before the nightmare would start," she answered him, "But, when I was sure there were no dementors around, I would think about you three, or Dumbledore, or Hagrid, or Snape. I'd have to stop quickly before the dementors would come rushing in, but it heartened me so." She smiled at them. "This is the only place I've ever really belonged."

"Why would you think of Snape? And Beth, what happened at Beauxbaton that you had to drop out?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"At Beauxbaton, they found my wings. I was the object of constant ridicule. When I was attacked by a couple of other student, my father pulled me out," Beth said, tearing up a bit at the mention of her father. "As for Snape, he's my godfather. He's quite wonderful, actually. Really," she said to Harry and Ron's doubtful expressions.

"I think we should get back to sleep," Hermione yawned.

"Alright," Beth said uncertainly.

"I'll stay here with you," Ron said bravely. Beth smiled, and the last sight Harry remembered was of Beth fast asleep on Ron's lap, her head on his shoulder and him asleep with his head on hers. She had fallen asleep with a small smile on her face, and not one of them awoke before morning.


	5. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING OR ALPHAVILLE DOES!**

**CHAPTER FOUR **

Two months passed. Besides an incident where Malfoy came sneaking up behind Beth and scared her so bad that she crouched, trembling, underneath the desk (which got Malfoy a week of detention), Beth was becoming more comfortable with people other than Ron, Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore, and Snape. Ron and Beth had progressed to occasionally holding hands in the corridors and absolutely glowing at all times. Beth had regained some color, and though five out of seven nights she still woke up screaming, she was getting better about waking up and calming down. She smiled way more (most of which were in no little way related to Ron) and she was eating a little more than the two pieces of bread she was eating when she had first returned.

Hermione had been caught in the library with Fred and had let the cat out of the bag that they had been secretly together ever since before Beth had gone to Azkaban. Fred and George had gone to her for a certain spell for a wand that twisted itself into several consecutive knots and one day Fred had expressed interest in her. She had reciprocated that interest, and ever since then, they spent time together in the library discussing the hazards of gags and laughing at the stupid ones.

Harry had told Ginny how he felt about her when they celebrated the success of their matchmaking of Beth and Ron. Ginny gladly accepted those feelings and returned her own, which were of the same nature.

The news about the Muggle-wizard army was now widespread. There were rumors of the army growing larger and rumors that Dumbledore knew the exact date of the attack somehow, but there was nothing concrete at the moment to be worried about. They continued simply being extra careful.

Things were going wonderfully. One day Dumbledore stopped them in the hallway.

"I believe Hagrid wanted to see you," he said, smirking as he caught a little cheesy grin that passed from Beth to Ron and back. "You should go ahead and go now," he said.

"All right," Hermione said.

"We will," Harry said, and they set off to Hagrid's hut. They soon arrived and Hermione knocked on his door.

"Hello, Hagrid!" she said as he opened it.

"Hello, there," Hagrid said. "Come on to the table and sit yerselves down. I've made tea and sandwiches," he said as he led them to the table.

"These are real good, Hagrid," Ron said after a few moments of gobbling down a few sandwiches.

"Yeah," Beth said. "I remember my dad made the best sandwiches, too," she said sweetly with that sad smile once again making an appearance on her face. Everyone looked around with a slightly awkward feeling.

"Memories…is funny things," Hagrid finally said. "Even when you remember the good ones, they still make you sad."

"So I have a question," Ron said to Hagrid,

"Go on," Hagrid said a bit nervously.

"Last week, Malfoy had tried to go into the girls' dorms to play a prank on Hermione and Beth, and the stairs turned into a slide and he couldn't get up them," Ron explained. "But when Harry and I have ever gone there, we get in just fine. Why is that?"

Hagrid was visibly relieved. "Well, yeh must've always gone in with good intentions for the girl you were coming ter see. Either that, or you were returning Miss Beth to her bed." Harry and Ron turned to smile at Beth, who smiled sheepishly back.

"So, Hagrid, have you heard anything new about the building army?" Hermione asked.

"Well, er, let's see here," Hagrid said, stuttering over his words. "I heard they got them humans with, er, those gunny-thingies, like that one that that fool Dursley pointed at me the day I first met yeh, Harry, do you remember that?"

"Yeah, I remember, Hagrid. And yeah, we've heard that, too," Harry said suspiciously.

Beth was starting to get suspicious, too. "So, Hagrid, Dumbledore said you wanted to see us. Was there something specific you needed?" she asked, concerned.

"Oh, I almost forgot to show yeh!" Hagrid said excitedly. "Come over here!" He led them over to a tank in the darkest corner of the room. "Look at this grindylow I found in the Black Lake," he said as they looked at it. "It's quite a peculiar shade of blue, isn't it? It seems just fine, though. Seems normal, just a weird color," he said as he stared lovingly at it.

"That's very nice, Hagrid," they all said as they looked at each other, wondering what was going on.

"We should get back. We have a big test to study for," Beth said as they started toward the door.

In a flash, Hagrid had put himself between them and the door. "No, no, I'm sure yeh could stay just a bit longer," he said unconvincingly. "Yeh don't really want ter study, do yeh?" he asked hopefully.

"Hagrid, what…" Harry started to say, but before he could finish, the unmistakable sound of a machine gun filled the hut.

"What is that?"Beth shrieked as she nearly crawled back to the table.

"It's a machine gun. Almost like a wand that casts the Avada Kedavra spell many, many times in a row. Hagrid, you knew! You knew the army was coming today, didn't you?" Harry demanded.

"Dumbledore knew," Hagrid admitted. "He asked me ter keep yeh here until it was all over. Now, just come and sit and eat."

They were all livid. Hagrid was aware of this.

"Hagrid, we can sit and eat when we're dead, which might happen sooner rather than later if they find us in here!" Hermione exclaimed. "We need to be helping them out there!" she said as she heard a scream and rushed out of the hut. The others followed her in a hurry to find the entire Muggle-wizard army stretched between them and the castle. They were all astounded and horrified.

"How are we going to get back?" Ron asked.

"How'd they all get 'ere like this?" said Hagrid in horrified amazement.

"I don't know, but it looks like the only way to avoid them is if I fly you all over," Beth said, a glint of determination in her eye.

"How?" asked Hermione. "You can't carry us all."

"Not all at once," said Beth, "but I can if I carry you one at a time." She unfurled her wings, and Hagrid's eyes became filled with wonder.

"I think she's right," Hagrid agreed.

Beth nodded. "I'll take each of you over, and then you can go help Madam Pomfrey. I'm sure she'll need it. Then I'll meet you there after I carry the last one over."

"I'll stay back," Hagrid said. "I'll be more help to 'em by stayin' outta this."

"Alright." Beth nodded again. "You three'd better figure out what order you'll go in now, so there won't be more time wasted than is necessary."

It was finally agreed upon that, since Hermione was the only girl besides Beth, she should go first. Next would be Harry, as Ron, with some bitterness, pointed out that the world's savior from Lord Voldemort was more than likely more needed on the other side than he. He would be going over last.

Beth picked up Hermione around the middle and Harry and Ron watched as she soared upward until she reached a point where the Muggles' guns wouldn't reach her. Then she flew off towards the other side.

Harry and Ron nervously glanced around as they waited for Beth to come back, and Hagrid kept muttering, "Yep, they'll be just fine, she'll be back in just a minute, yep, she will…" to himself. What must've taken only minutes seemed to take hours. Finally she came into sight and landed, a little out of breath but otherwise completely fine.

"Hermione got in just fine. Now come on, Harry, we can't waste time," she said as she motioned him over. Beth grabbed Harry around the middle just as she had Hermione and Harry watched as Ron and Hagrid got smaller and smaller until they were gone.

"You all right, Beth?" Harry asked midflight.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, but Harry knew she was scared, even though he was facing the ground, from the tone of her voice and the way she was slightly shaking.

Suddenly Harry saw the stairs into the castle. Beth started to lower him down and soon had placed him carefully on the steps.

"Hurry to Madam Pomfrey's, Harry, go!" Beth said as she turned around to take flight again.

"Thanks!" Harry yelled as he ran down the corridor. He soon reached the Infirmary, where Hermione and Madam Pomfrey were rushing to the aid of the few but seriously wounded patients. Hermione hurried Harry over to a patient in need, and soon his mind was anywhere but on the time it would take for Beth to get there.

Suddenly the doors slammed open and Harry saw Ron carrying Beth, her head slumped and her limp wings dragging the floor.

"Help, somebody, help!" Ron cried out, and Harry and Hermione hurried over to them. They grabbed her out of Ron's arms and took her to a bed where Madam Pomfrey was waiting. Harry looked down at his hands and noticed that the blood on them was from two gaping wounds: one on Beth's left wing and the other on her back. That one was dangerously close to her heart. Hermione's frantic voice suddenly shook him out of his daze.

"Ron, what happened?" Hermione fairly shouted at him.

Ron was sitting on an empty bed with his head in his hands. "She looked exhausted when she got to Hagrid's, and she flew a little too low on the return trip. All of a sudden we heard two shots from below, and Beth tipped us upside down, so she would get the shots instead of me. I felt them hit her, and she let out this sort of moan. She barely made it to the stairs. I carried her in from there. She'll be alright, won't she?" Ron asked as Madam Pomfrey walked over.

"I'm afraid not," she said mournfully. "Her avian blood prevents me from doing more than taking out the Muggle bullets. She'll bleed herself to death, I'm afraid. I'm so sorry." Just then another patient cried out and she hurried across the room.

"No," Ron said quietly, dumbstruck. They looked over at her, lying so peacefully in the bed, and Hermione started sobbing. Silent tears ran down Harry's face. "No!" Ron said more forcefully as he ran over to Beth's side. Harry and Hermione followed to the opposite side of the bed and were careful not to bump her damaged wing. Ron took her face in his hands and shouted, "I will not let you die!" but just as he finished, Beth stopped breathing. Through teary eyes, Harry saw Ron's face fall as he gathered Beth in his arms and sobbed, "You can't die, Beth, you just can't. There's so much I haven't told you, and so much you haven't done!" And Ron started naming off all the things they hadn't done together, all while sobbing and rocking her back and forth in his arms. Harry started sobbing and Hermione's wailings caught a new wind as Ron finally ended his ramblings by saying,"…and…I love you," and cradled her tighter to himself. All of a sudden the words to the old Muggle song that she had loved came into Harry's head again:

_Forever young_

_I want to be _

_Forever young_

_Do you really want to live forever,_

_Forever, and ever…_


	6. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING OR ALPHAVILLE DOES!**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

All of a sudden through Hermione's wails, Harry thought he heard Beth mumble something back. _I must be imagining things,_ he thought sadly. _She's gone._ But apparently Ron did too, for he leaned back and stared at her incredulously. Then he shouted, "She's breathing again!" and she opened her eyes. Everything was suddenly silent (even Hermione) as she looked up at Ron. "Did you say something?" Ron asked breathlessly, unable to keep his eyes off of her.

"I said, I love you too, Ron." Beth smiled. Ron smiled back, and for a few moments it seemed like they didn't know anyone else was there.

"How is this happening?" asked Hermione. "This is impossible!"

"I saw the Higher Powers again…" Beth started as Hermione and Ron gave her alarmed looks.

"Don't worry," said Harry. "You can fill them in later. Just go on."

"Alright then. Well, I met them, and they said that they were impressed that I gave my life for Ron's. They said it meant I really cared for him. They were so impressed, in fact, that they extended my life to the length of a normal person so that I could spend the time with you." She smiled at Ron and Hermione's still incredulous looks and then up at Harry. "The wound on my back is only a scar now and the one on my wing is nearly healed," she said as Madam Pomfrey walked over.

She checked Beth over, and declared, "It's a miracle!" She looked at Ron, Harry and Hermione's grinning faces. "Well, miracle or not, she still needs her rest. Be gone, all of you!"

And with that, Ron kissed her quick on the cheek and winked as he ran skipping and jumping, out of the room. Harry and Hermione ran after him, with a quick wave to Beth and a "See you later!" as they left her in the capable hands of Madam Pomfrey. On their way to go help with the battle, they met Dumbledore, who told them it was over. They had triumphed.

* * *

In the end, Hermione married Fred Weasley, had eight children, and helped manage the joke shop he and George owned called "Wealseys' Wizard Wheezes." George ended up with Angelina Johnson, who also helped manage the shop. Harry and Ginny had a little boy and a little girl, twins, a year after they got married. They named them James and Lily after Harry's parents. Finally, Ron and Beth married two years after graduating from Hogwarts and eventually and a son and a daughter about a year apart. The little girl, Brooke, had flaming red hair and blue eyes, and had no extra appendages but could talk with fish. The little boy, John, had bronze hair and dark brown eyes. He also had no extra appendages. He could not talk to fish, but to birds. All in all, everyone had a happy life and stayed well in contact with everyone else. They all remained great friends throughout their lives.

_The End._


	7. Alternate Ending

**Author's Note:** _This is the original ending I was going to write for this story, but decided otherwise. This ending would be in place of the current chapter 5. I needed to get this out of my system, it's been banging around in my head for a while. So please, read and review! I appreciate any and all thoughts towards my stories! I hope you like it!_

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING JK ROWLING OR ALPHAVILLE DOES!**

**ALTERNATE ENDING:**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Ron held her lifeless body for a long time, until the color had gone completely from her wings. Finally, Harry pulled him away and led him back to the Gryffindor common room where Hermione had been waiting.

Beth had not been the only casualty that day. On his way to inform Snape about the death of his goddaughter, Harry met Dumbledore. The headmaster told him of the many deaths that day, including that of Fred Weasley. When Harry returned to the common room, he found Ron and Hermione asleep in each other's atms, the tears still wet on their faces.

The battle had been won, but at such a great cost.

* * *

Harry and Ginny stayed together for the rest of their lives. They had four children.

George was happily married two years later to Angelina Johnson. Still, he often stated that it felt like half of him had been torn away.

Thrown together by the tragedy of that day, Ron and Hermione fell in love with each other. They had twins, a boy Fred and a girl Beth, who had a strange love for flying and seemed to be very in tune with birds.

Ron never forgot the bronze-haired girl. Beside his bed he kept a photograph of himself, Harry, Hermione, Fred, George, and Beth. He looked at it often, remembering the girl destined to be forever young.

_The End._


End file.
